[Vwdiesel] Posessed Quantum Starter

[Libbybapa at wmconnect.com]

This one has me fairly well stumped.  Thoroughly stumped.  I spent the day 
working on my friend's 84 Quantum TD.  The battery is brand new and 
fantastically well charged.  When it cranks it cranks really really fast.  When he got the 
car it had a Starter push botton momentary switch that the PO had installed.  
Unfortunately, it only runs the starter about 1 out of 15 pushes.  The other 
14 pushes just make the solenoid go click.  The  push button ties into the 
smaller wire to the solenoid, goes through a fuse to the momentary switch and to 
the pos post of the battery.  If I disconnect the lead to the push button at 
the solenoid wire, and reconnect the ignition switch it does the exact same 
thing.  1 out of 15 times it runs the starter the other 14 times the solenoid 
clicks.  If I run a jumper from the same solenoid wire connection to the positive 
terminal it starts 15 out of 15 times.  Yup, 100% of the time.  Every time.

The only explanation I can come up with is a solenoid that is just enough 
borderline to work 100% when jumpered to the battery, but the slight voltage drop 
of the wire to ignition switch is enough to keep it from really clicking the 
connection to run the motor of the starter.  That seems to me to be Very 
far-fetched and I welcome another explanation, as the starter removal requires the 
removal of the engine mounts, lowering of the crossmemeber  and undoing of 
turbo oil return line.  Wierd.  Help.

Andrew